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Edible Ferns of New England

By ELIZABETH RIELY; Elizabeth Riely, the author of ''The Chef's Companion: A Concise Dictionary of Culinary Terms'' (Van Nostrand Reinhold), is based in Boston.

Published: May 8, 1988

FIDDLEHEADS, so aptly named because they resemble a violin scroll, are as sure a harbinger of the new season as asparagus, shad or fresh morels. These tightly furled young fronds, which in spring appear at the crown of all varieties of ferns, grow throughout the world. Indeed, the woodlands of the northeastern United States are abundant with them.

But it is New Englanders who prize fiddleheads for their form and color. Before cultivated vegetables have emerged from backyard gardens, the crisp texture and fresh flavor of the wild fern sprouts are especially welcome.

Though they grow in many regions and climates, edible ferns prefer an alluvial soil full of nutrients. Some foragers gather them along the marshy banks of rivers and streams - Thoreau's ''ever rich and fertile shores'' - while others may look in secluded thickets and woods. In spring, the bright green fern crosiers are covered with a brownish ''paper'' and surrounded by the dried plumes of the previous year's foliage. As their short season continues, usually lasting a couple of weeks in a specific location, harvesting moves farther and farther north.

Since the gathering of fiddleheads is a cottage industry dependent upon the weather, one can never be sure just when, where and in what quantity they will be available. This year in the Boston wholesale market at Chelsea, with cold weather delaying the season, the first few ferns from Connecticut arrived during the third week of April. By the end of the month, some from central Massachusetts and the Berkshires started appearing, with Vermont and New Hampshire fiddleheads following in early May. The major supply from Maine and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia comes shortly after, continuing from Labrador throughout June and sometimes into July.

Regina Klemyk has a couple of acres of pastureland on the Connecticut River near North Hadley, Mass., where animals used to graze. ''The ferns grow in little beds where the water overflows each year,'' she said recently. ''We get a patch of them here and there. We don't cut them completely. We pick out a few and leave the rest for the following year. They just keep coming on their own.''

Mrs. Klemyk's fiddleheads find their way into the specialty markets of Boston, and from there into kitchens throughout New England. ''We don't spend that much time picking,'' she said, adding that they collect only 900 to 1,000 pounds a year. ''Some do that within two days.''

CHRISTINE ORLOWSKI, who learned of the ferns eight years ago, each season picks a couple of bushels at a time, both for her own family and for grocers near Holyoke, where she lives. ''They grow in the woodlands near the rivers around here where it floods,'' she said. ''You just snap them away from the plant.''

The naturalist and wild-food enthusiast Euell Gibbons may have helped to increase the popularity of fiddleheads. In his book ''Stalking the Blue-Eyed Scallop,'' he wrote, ''Not the least of the pleasures of early spring in New England is the enjoyment of fern fiddleheads, one of the greatest delicacies among wild vegetables.'' He suggested that the best way to find them is to look for tall dried foliage that has persisted through the winter. ''These old fronds are tough and inedible, but summer, when they are conspicuous, is a good time to locate a fruitful spot to come plundering next spring.''

Though many varieties of ferns are eaten, especially the ubiquitous bracken, fiddlehead fanciers should take caution. Farmers consider large quantities of bracken fern poisonous to livestock. For human consumption, some botanists believe that only the ostrich fern - the variety commonly sold in markets - is unquestionably safe. According to the culinary reference book ''Uncommon Fruits and Vegetables,'' by Elizabeth Schneider (Harper & Row, 1986), the bracken fern and other varieties may be highly carcinogenic.

Aside from the young coiled shoots eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable, the roots can be used to flavor drinks, boiled and served in a vinaigrette dressing, or dried, ground and baked with barley into a rustic bread. But taking the root destroys the plant, so conservationists urge against using any part except the crosier.

As for flavor, people compare the fiddlehead's variously to that of asparagus, artichokes, brussels sprouts or green beans, perhaps with the aroma of mushrooms or new-mown grass. Devotees appreciate the unusual texture that combines the crunchy stems with the feathery fringe of leaves. Detractors find them bitter from the tannin in the brown paper that should be removed before cooking. There is even disagreement as to whether the taste is delicate or pronounced.

FIDDLEHEADS do not keep well and should be served as soon as possible after harvest. Picked or purchased, they should be firm to touch, bright green and small. Although they can be cooked by almost every method, they are often blanched first, especially for sauteeing. The unsprung fern shoots are available frozen and canned year-round, but connoisseurs think that such treatment is for looks only.

The retail price of the ferns in Boston is $3 to $4 a pound, according to the supply. Fiddlehead fanciers can savor this delicacy at home or in restaurants in countless ways.